Another Great Entry: “Meteorfall: Rustbowl Rumble” is a Wacky, Deep Deckbuilder

The long-awaited third installment in the critically acclaimed Meteorfall series, Meteorfall: Rustbowl Rumble, is not just a worthy successor but a new high for the series. Developed by solo dev Eric Farraro (Slothwerks), this game takes the roguelike deckbuilding formula of its predecessors and completely reinvents it with a tactical, team-based approach that is both fresh and deeply engaging. The game, which has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam and is also available on iOS and Android, has been praised for its deep mechanics, charming art style, and unwavering commitment to a high level of challenge.

Unlike the previous games, which focused on a single hero’s journey, Rustbowl Rumble puts you in command of a team of three heroes, each with their own unique set of cards and abilities. Your goal is to win the “Rustbowl Rumble,” a wild, no-holds-barred tournament where the greatest heroes in the world of Meteorfall battle it out. This team-based system adds a new layer of strategic depth, as you must carefully select your team members and build synergies between their different card decks.

A Tactical Twist on a Classic Genre

While the game is a deckbuilder at its core, its key innovation is the addition of a grid-based battlefield. This simple mechanic completely changes how you play.

• Positional Combat: Where you place your heroes on the battlefield matters. You’ll need to use your tankier characters to protect your weaker, damage-dealing ones, and you can move them around the battlefield to influence where enemy hits land.
• Modular Upgrades: A huge part of the game is customizing your cards with “modular upgrades,” allowing you to mix and match abilities to create overpowered combos that are a joy to discover.
• Deep Strategy: With over 200 cards and 8 different heroes to choose from, the game offers a huge amount of strategic variety. The ability to mix and match heroes from different classes opens up an endless number of team compositions, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses.

The game’s art style, reminiscent of the previous Meteorfall titles, is a charming and whimsical backdrop to the challenging gameplay. The dialogue is witty, and the characters are full of personality, making the game’s world feel alive and well-realized.

Difficulty: A Point of Contention for Some

While the game has been widely praised, some players have found its difficulty to be a bit too punishing, particularly for newcomers. The first difficulty level, “Rust,” is meant to be a gentler introduction to the game’s mechanics, but some players have found the difficulty curve to be steep, with a few early encounters proving to be particularly brutal. The developer, Slothwerks, has been actively engaged with the community on this issue, stating that it’s a “tough balance to get right” but that they are open to making adjustments based on player feedback.

Despite this minor point of contention, the overall consensus is that Meteorfall: Rustbowl Rumble is an excellent game. It’s a testament to the fact that a dedicated solo developer can create a game with the depth and polish of a larger studio. It’s a must-play for fans of roguelike deckbuilders and a great entry point for anyone looking to get into the genre.